Chero Cola Bottles

Chero Cola Bottles are collectible glass bottles produced by the Royal Crown company to contain their brand of Chero Cola.

History & Description

Chero Cola bottles are bottles made to contain the American soft-drink, Chero Cola, and were made of glass.

Chero Cola was produced by Royal Crown and was first sold in 1904. Royal Crown was established by Claude A. Hatcher, a young pharmacist who had previously owned the Hatcher Grocery Company in Columbus, Georgia. The company had formed because Hatcher had begun bottling his own ginger ale following a dispute with a local soda bottler.

Following the popularity of Chero Cola, Royal Crown created a line of original soft drinks, such Royal Crown Strawberry, Royal Crown Root Beer and Royal Crown Ginger Ale.

In order to meet demands, in the same year that Royal Crown released Chero Cola, Hatcher formed a new company to bottle them, the Union Bottling Works.

Guide for collectors

Chero Cola bottles represent a relatively inexpensive antique and examples typically sell for less than $20 on online bidding sites.

Chero Cola bottles came in a variety of colours; aqua, citron, clear, green and purple. However, bottle collectors agree that perhaps the rarest colour of them is all is teal.

Additionally, the city names found on the bottom of Chero Cola bottles can also contribute to an item’s price. Some of the most common locations are Columbus in Georgia, New Orleans in Louisiana and Birmingham in Alabama, whereas Washington in North Carolina and Evansville in Indiana represent the rarest examples.

One great source for bottle collectors and enthusiasts is Antique-Bottles.

Notable auction sales

On March 5th 2012, an early clear Chero Cola bottle from Jacksonville, Florida, was sold on eBay for $18.89.

On March 2nd 2012, a group of three early Chero Cola bottles was sold on eBay for $19.99.

On March 2nd 2012, a rare Chero Cola “twist” bottle from Columbus, Georgia, was sold on eBay for $15.

On March 4th 2012, a 1915 green Chero Cola “embossed” bottle from Rome, Georgia, was sold on eBay for $12.75